Wrench.



A-iw'fi'. ALLAN.

WRENCH. APPLICATION :FILED we. 12, 1914.

1,198,309. 1 PatentedSept.12,1916.

UNITED OFFIQE.

I ALLEN C. ALLAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB. TO WILLIAM R. ALLAN, JR., OF

MORRIS, ILLINOIS.

WRENCH.

Application filed August 12, 1914.

To all whom it 02 my concern Be it known that I, ALLEN C. ALLAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chi cago, in the county of Cook and State of l'llinois, have inventednew and useful Improvements in Wrenches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention pertains to improvements 111 wrenches and the like, and has for one of its leading and principal objects the provision of a wrench of the quick-acting class, consisting of few and simple part-s, permitting it to be conveniently and economically manufactured, durable and easily operated.

Another salient feature of the invention resides in so constructing the operating mechanism of the wrench that the handle will have substantially the same range of angular movement although the wrench is operating upon devices of different sizes.

A further feature of novelty and improvement resides in the provision of a movable mounting for the operating handle which at times constitutes a fulcrum for the handle and permits the substantially uniform range of movement indicated above and gives the wrench a greater capacity for grasping articles of widely difiering dimensions.

The attainment of these and other objects will be readily understood from a consideration of preferred embodiments of the invention set forth in the following description and illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, and throughout the various views of which like parts are supplied with the same reference characters.

In this drawing: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wrench constructed in accordance with the present invention, illustrating a comparatively large object clamped between the wrench-jaws; Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing the jaws of the wrench engaging a somewhat smaller object; Fig. 3 is a similar view, illustrating the jaws closed; Fig. i is a fragmentary end elevation of the construction; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a wrench embodying a slight modification; Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the stationary jaw; and Fig. 7 is a similar view of the movable aw.

While my improvement has been illustrated in the form of wrenches, and will be so referred to in the following description, it is to be understood that the device is not Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 12, 1916.

Serial No. 856,473.

to be thus restricted in its useful capacity, as the invention is susceptible of embodiment with slight alterations or modifications for other gripping devices, as well as for pipe cutters and other analogous tools.

Referring to the drawings, it will be observed that the main body or head 2 is provided with a stationary jaw 1, and with two parallel spaced walls 3, 3, one of which is supplied internally with a transverse groove or channel 4. As is clearly illustrated in the various figures, Fig. 6, for example, the jaw 1 is at one side of the member 2, and the two parallel walls 3, 3, extend laterally therefrom as shown.

The movable jaw 6 comprises a head 7 formed upon one end of a centrally arranged body or web 8 in thickness substantially the same as the space between the walls 3, 3, and supplied on one face with a rib 9 adapted to be received within the groove or channel 4 of the stationary memher when the web is arranged for sliding movement between the sides or walls 3, 3, of the stationary jaw. As is clearly illustrated, the web 8 is provided with a substantially semi-cylindrical recess 10, the portion of the web on one side of the recess being somewhat longer than that on the other.

The handle or lever for operating the movable jaw, in the form of construction shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, comprises a bent arm 12 with a rounded end 11 adapted to be accommodated in the recess 10. The posi tions which this operating handle assumes are indicated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the latter illustrating clearly why the web 8 is cut away at one side of the recess 10 to permit the necessary angular movement of the handle to close the jaws. In the form of construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, the handle at its inner end portion is provided with a slot 13 which accommodates a pin 14, at times constituting a fulcrum which may be of any suitable form, such as a bolt and nut, as illustrated in Fig. l, this pin extending through registering angular slots 5, 5, in the two side walls 3, 3, of the stationary member. As shown, each of these slots 5 is of right-angle conformation. It should be clear from this descrip tion and the illustration that the member, pin or bolt 14: extends through all three slots, and is adapted to travel in them to assume the difl'erent positions illustrated.

lVhen the wrench has its jaws closed together, as shown in Fig. 3, the pin or bolt is will be substantially at the upper ends of the registering or alined slots 5. Then the handle is turned to open the jaws to receive an article, say of the size illustrated in Fig. 2, and then the handle is turned so that the slidable jaw firmly grips such article, the pin automatically assumes its proper position in the slots 5, depending upon the size of the article gripped, and further turning of the handle on the pin causes the slidable jaw to securely grasp such article. This operation and function are clearly illustrated in Fig. 2. lVhen the wrench is employed for grasping still larger articles, as sho :1, for instance, in 1, the pin may either manually or automatically be caused to enter the short arms of the slots 5, so that the pin is held in position during fe turning of the handle in its articleclaniping operation. It should be noticed that, owing to the fact that the pin of the operating handle or lever may shift its position, the range of angular movement of the handle remains substantially constant regardless of the size of the article grasped between the wrench-jaws. This capability of adjustment for the pin or bolt gives the wrench a greater range of 1no-. iinent of the sliding jaw, and consequently a greater useful capacity. This range of angular movement means that, regardless of the size of the article clamped between the wrench jaws, the range of swing of the handle is substantially the same, that is to say, the limits of its stroke, are in general way the same for all sizes of articles. The position of the handle when clamping a small article is in a general way the same position which it will have when clamping a large article, or, stated differently, the position of the handle with reference to the jaws is always that for scarring a favorable or maximum effect on the jaws. The handle is not in a favorable position for one size of article and in an extreme angular position for another size of article, which might be inconvenient or im possible to secure effective leverage.

In Fig. 5 a slightly modified construction is shown, in which one side of each of the two registered slots 15 is provided with a plurality of depressions or recesses 17, into any one of which the pin l l is adapted to temporarily reside, depending on the size of the article to be engaged by the jaws. The operation of this particular style of wrench is much like that shown in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, except that the variety of positions which the pin may assume is more or less limited to the number of depressions 17. Viewed somewhat differently, in the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 41, inclusive, the fulcrum pin automatically assumes its different positions, while in the structure of Fig. 5 more or less manual manipulation of the handle is necessary to introduce the pin into the desired recess.

To those skilled in this art it will be apparent that the specified objects of this invention have been secured in the embodiment-s illustrated and described, but it should be further understood that the invention is not limited and restricted to this particular device, and that the invention is susceptible of many other embodiments. Stated otherwise, the invention is not limited and restricted to precise and exact mechanical features set forth, because these may be varied within wide limits without departure from the heart and essence of the invention and without the sacrifice of any of its substantial benefits and advantages.

1 claim:

1. In a wrench construction of the character described, the combination of a member having a jaw fined relatively thereto and a bifurcated portion having slots each with portions at an angle to one another, a companion jaw member having a thicker jaw portion beyond said bifurcated portion and a thinner portion slidably received in the bifurcated portion of said member and having a rounded recess, a slotted lever having a rounded end head rockingly received in said recess of the slidable jaw, and a pin for said lever accommodated in the slot of the lever and in the angular slots of the fixed jaw member, permitting the lever to assume the same general angular position when the jaws are clamping articles of different sizes, substantially as described.

2. In awrench construction of the character described, the combination of a slotted member having a fixed jaw, a recessed companion aw slidably associated with said member, a lever havinga terminal portion rocliingly accommodated in the recess of said aw and adapted to slide the latter, said lever having a slot angularly disposed with reference to the axis of the lever, and a pin for said lever accommodated in the slot of said member and in the slot of the lever, permitting the lever to assume the same general angular position when the jaws are clamping articles of different sizes, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALLEN C. ALL AN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

